In this post, I will be sharing with you a topic that I am rather passionate about and would like to share! I do hope you enjoy reading my blog!

I would like to talk about the beautiful game Animal Crossing: New Horizons and how it has helped the players in this pandemic, especially me. New Horizons was released on March 20th, 2020. And I was super pumped up because I am long time Animal Crossing fan! I remember telling my eighth grade teacher about this game and we both discussed our excitement for the release. Of course, back at that time, everyone thought that there would not be an extension to our spring break just because of some virus being spread around… well boy were we wrong. I was rather shocked to say the least when we were told that we would not be returning to class for the rest of the school year, so I had to update my teacher about my animal crossing adventures through our online teams meetings. And when I think back to that time, I now wonder how animal crossing has made such a huge impact during this pandemic. I now question, how did this game help others during this strange time? With my brain filled with knowledge from my researching and my body high on Starbucks’ Sweet Cream Cold Brew, I am ready to answer that question. To start, one of the game creators (Yatsuya Eguchi), has mentioned that this series was partially inspired by homesickness. And when playing, you can really see the aspects of “comfort of your own home” being placed in this game. The game itself is calm, easy and fun, I myself get homesick really easily but I received so much comfort from this game that it allows me to slow down and calms my anxiety. This could be a reason why millions of the games players has expressed their thanks to Nintendo because it gives them peace of mind, which is really what anyone wants during this mentally draining period.

Another reason could be the simplicity. You have many games that forces hard and not very fun tasks upon you to advance. But Sophie Kiel from Granada Hills, California, has expressed that “Animal Crossing is so simple and nice”. And it truly is! From the graphics to its gameplay the best word to describe this game would be simple. You are not forced to do certain tasks and you can make your island how you want it to be. And while we are experiencing things that are definitely the opposite of simple, Animal Crossing acts as an exhale for its players. Allowing them to escape from reality and do easy going tasks that could help make their island even more suitable to their tastes. I could go on and on forever about the games music and graphics but you would be stuck reading this blog for a long time… so I will just list one last reason about how this game really helped its players during the pandemic. Though we cannot see each other in person, Animal Crossing: New Horizons allows us to meet up virtually. And to be extremely honest, this is the best online game that allows players to see each other within the game. I say this because you are not meeting up with your friend online to defeat a boss, find out who is an imposter or brawl them. But you are meeting up to just… hang out. Just hang out, play games, trade furniture and maybe turnip prices (a couple even got married through the game!). And that takes us back to the word: simple. That is what this game is and that is what brings comfort during this hectic pandemic. This game makes me feel much more relaxed and at ease, normally I find it really hard to stick to a game but I have been committed to my island for a long time now. And while this pandemic continues, me and other passionate players will continue to cultivate our islands. Our only worry while playing this game being looming fear of Tom Nook knowing you have not payed your mortgage yet… but that can wait… hopefully.

Thank you for reading! Maybe after reading this post you might consider making your own island!